Broken
by KaterinaPetrovah
Summary: Caroline is lost and abused by her dead beat boyfriend, Tyler. Klaus is a successful lawyer, moving back home to start a new job. Can he save her before it's too late? AU OOC AH. Trigger warning: mentions of rape, abuse, drugs.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries**

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><p>Caroline woke with a start. Rays of light were penetrating her eyes, and she couldn't take it. Especially after last night. She attempted to turn her head away, but her body screamed in protest. Her arms, neck and torso were covered with bruises. Some new, and just beginning to turn a blackish purple color, and some old, already fading into a sickly yellow. She groaned slightly as she realized her attacker was still fast asleep right next to her.<p>

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><p><em>She laughed slightly at something on the small, broken down TV in front of her, as she took another sip of her lukewarm beer. Her eyes snapped to the side as the door of the trailer swung open, and in walked her clearly wasted boyfriend of 8 years.<em>

_"Tyler…" She began, not wanting to get on his bad side again._

_"Get up." He said, and she did as she was told. He pushed her roughly against the wall. She didn't even try to fight him anymore. She knew it would hurt less if she just let it happen. _"He loves you,"_ she thought to herself_. "He can barely keep his hands off of you."_ She lied often to herself about the reason he was doing this, she told herself it wasn't just sex, that he wasn't about to rape her for the 100th time, but that this was for love. It was all for love._

_She allowed a single tear to drip down her cheek as Tyler roughly kissed her, running his hands all over her body…_

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><p>She quietly forced her aching body up, pulling on a sweater, and zipping it all the way up to her neck to cover up her bruises. She looked down at Tyler, knowing he wouldn't be up for at least another few hours. It was only 10 in the morning after all. She decided to take a trip to the town market, since they were running low on food. She took some money from the stash hidden in the draw they always kept locked up, and pulled on her old, battered combat boots, closing the trailer door slowly behind her. She allowed herself to enjoy the feeling of the warm sun beating down on her as she exited the trailer park, and made her way to the market. Luckily for her, the trailer park was located close to the town market, so she wouldn't have to force her aching body to walk far. She thought of Tyler as she made her way up the road.<p>

She wasn't sure why she stayed with him. Maybe it was because she loved him, or at least she thought she did. Or maybe it was because it was the only place she felt safe. _"Well that's ironic." _She thought. But it was also true. She had everything in high school, a great group of friends, perfect grades, cute clothes, and even an amazing boyfriend. She was, by all means, popular. But after her mom died, she fell off the tracks, getting into all the wrong things. She never thought Caroline Forbes, high school prom queen, would end up snorting coke off a cracked mirror in a rundown trailer in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In her perfect world, the world she should have been living in, she'd live in a cute little cream-colored house, with red shutters. Not too big, but definitely not too small. She'd have to outshine her neighbors, after all. She'd be married, and have four kids: two boys and two girls, and maybe even a fluffy little dog. She smiled at the thought.

But that wasn't her life.

And it never could be.

She couldn't leave now, where would she go? She had no money, no college degree, and a drug addiction she needed to fulfill. And, like it or not, Tyler was the only person who could provide for her. He made the money, even if he did get it by cooking meth in the dessert like someone off of "Breaking Bad". She inwardly sighed, but kept walking up the old, cracking road to the small town super market. Telling herself it's worth it to get beat on every night, as long as it kept a roof over her head, and drugs in her pocket. Telling herself she really did love him…

When she finally reached the market, she picked up the cheapest foods she could find, paying for them with what little money she had brought with her.

"Caroline!" she suddenly heard her name being called and turned around to see her only friend in the world, Elena Salvatore, standing behind her. Elena lived in the trailer park, as well, with her husband, Damon. She knew what Tyler did to Caroline, but Caroline begged her not to tell a soul, so she didn't. Maybe that's why Caroline liked her so much; she knew how to keep a secret. Well, that, and she'd pop some pills, or smoke some pot with her anytime she wanted.

"Hey, Elena." She responded, cringing a bit as the slim brunette hugged her.

Elena noticed how Caroline pulled back immediately, and quickly put two and two together. "He did it again, didn't he." Elena said. "You know, if you'd just let me tell Damon, you know he'd beat his sorry little ass for you." She said, only half joking. Damon worked as a cook in the run down diner down the street, and Elena was a waitress there with Caroline. The pair never went to college either.

"No. You know I said not to tell." Caroline responded, slightly embarrassed, and Elena just nodded her head.

"Alright, well, I really have to get going, I have a shift in five minutes, but I'll see you later, okay?" She said.

"See you later." Caroline confirmed, as she watched her walk away. She was about to walk back home, when a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She turned around, eyes widening in shock at who stood behind her.

"Klaus?"

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><p><em>Caroline quickly shut her locker as the fifth period bell rung. She started to walk to her class when a pair of hands covered her sapphire blue eyes. She whipped around, knowing who it was immediately.<em>

_"Klaus!" she screeched. Klaus and his family moved to New Mexico from Britain just last year for his father's job. Every girl wanted him the moment he walked through the school's double doors. I mean, who wouldn't? With those chiseled abs and the thick accent. But since the moment he arrived, he only had eyes for a certain blonde._

_"Come on!" He said, pulling her along with him to the school's courtyard._

_"But I have class!" She screeched playfully. Although he could tell she was really a little worried._

_"They won't miss you just this once." He said, pulling her into the abandoned garden in the courtyard._

_"Alright, alright!" She gave in, giggling as he sat down on one of the benches and pulled her onto his lap, kissing her gently. He pulled a pink flower from the garden, and placed it in her hair. She smiled gently, her hand still tracing his jawline._

_"I love you." He said. Her eyes opened a bit at the statement, this was the first time he said that to her, after all. But her eyes quickly softened and a smile played on her lips._

_"I love you too!" She responded, kissing him again._

_"Let's promise to be together forever." She whispered in between gentle kisses._

_"Forever." He repeated, pulling her closer to him._

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><p>"Oh my god! How have you been?" She asked, still a little taken aback by his clean, businessman like appearance. She suddenly felt self-conscious in her ratty old sweater, and beat up combat boots.<p>

"Great! really, just great." He responded in his British accent. "Um, I'm a lawyer now, actually. I just finished law school last year, and I got offered a job up here, so I jumped on the opportunity to moved here with my wife!" He finished, and Caroline was immediately taken aback at the thought of Klaus being married to someone other than her. _"I guess it's my own damn fault." _She thought to herself.

"Wow! That's great!" She faked enthusiasm well. She'd gotten good at faking her emotions. "So you're… you're married now?" She asked a bit more shakily than she wanted, but Klaus didn't seem to notice as he started to talk again.

"Yeah, her names Camille." He said, "I met her while I was in law school. She's an interior designer, and she's going to open her own business down here." He said, proudly. "So, what have you been up to?"

"Oh, um, I'm in the food business now." She said, _"It isn't a complete lie." _She thought to herself. "I actually live with my boyfriend, Tyler." She felt a chill run down her spine at the thought of him.

"Oh, wow! That's great, too." He said. She just nodded awkwardly, as they stood there for a few minutes in silence.

"So, I'd better get going. Get back to the wife and all." Klaus tried to joke lightly, and Caroline let out a small giggle.

"See you around." She said.

"Yeah, see you around." Klaus repeated, and turned on his heel, walking back the way he came.

Caroline watched him walk away; her heart beat speeding up abnormally fast inside her bruised chest.

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><p><strong>Please review if you'd like another chapter!<strong>

**-xx KaterinaPetrovah**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! So, here's the next chapter! Thank you so so much to those of you who reviewed! Especially to the person who reviewed like 5 times lol, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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><p>Caroline turned on her heel, heading back home back home with a bag of cheap groceries in her hands, and thoughts of Klaus invading her mind. She was so deep in thought she almost walked straight into three people, muttering a half-hearted "sorry" each time. She hastily pushed the trailer door open, the heat of the summer air finally getting to her through her zipped up sweater. Kicking off her boots, she craned her head to the side to see if Tyler was still asleep in their room. She really hoped he wasn't.<p>

"Tyler?" she called softly, her sock clad feet padding across the cool floor. Her silent prayers were answered when the lump under their bed covers turned out to be just a pile of pillows. Sighing with relief, she figured he was at "work". Maybe he was down in one of the other trailers making a drug deal, or maybe he was somewhere out in the New Mexican desert cooking meth. Caroline wasn't a hypocrite, she did drugs just as much as he did, but she'd never deal them. She'd never wish her way life upon anyone else. Maybe it was because somewhere in the back of her mind she thought she could still fix herself. She thought she could have that perfect life she always wanted.

The life she almost had.

"_Almost." _The word rang round and round in her head, until she finally snapped herself out of her thoughts. Looking at the time, she realized she still had a few hours before her shift at the diner. Pulling her clothes off as she walked towards the bathroom, she caught a glance of her body in the mirror, and an audible gasp escaped her lips. She was covered in bruises; the ones from last night were the most prominent. No wonder she was so sore. Tearing her eyes away from the mirror, she turned the shower water on as hot, salty tears streamed down her face.

The freezing droplets of water cascaded around her body as she let out a strangled scream, throwing a bottle of shampoo at the wall in front of her with enough force that some strawberry scented soap squirted out. The sweet smell made her sick. She didn't deserve anything that sweet. _"Look where I live! My life is shit. I'm worthless."_ She thought to herself, forcefully turning off the icy water, she walked straight into her room and threw on a pair of old jeans and a tee shirt. _"Worthless" _the word kept replaying itself in her head, like a broken record. She practically ran to the kitchen, hastily unlocking the money draw and tearing it open. Behind what little money Tyler left for her in there, she still didn't know where he kept his bulk of drug money, but she knew he spent it on stuff like alcohol and prostitutes, was a small bag of cocaine.

She hastily picked it up, along with an old one-dollar bill, and made her way back to the trailer's small bathroom. She pulled out her small make up mirror and poured the blow onto it, making 4 little neat lines. She grabbed the dollar bill and rolled it up, wasting no time to breathe in the white powder. The sensation of pleasure hit her almost immediately. She definitely wasn't girly little Caroline anymore…

By the time her high wore off, it was almost time for her shift to start. She quickly pulled her sweater and boots back on, and ran out into the cool night air. She got to the diner in the nick of time, opening the old door just in time to see Elena kissing Damon goodbye. Caroline felt of rush of jealousy at her friends' relationship, but put on a smile as soon as Elena turned towards her.

"Hey Care! Good thing you're here, my shift just ended, and Millie's the only other waitress working here tonight." Elena bobbed her head back at Millie; she was a sweet older lady, probably in her mid 60s, with short blonde hair and soft brown eyes. She lived in the run down trailer park with Caroline and Elena as well.

"Sorry, I was… busy." Caroline concluded, "But I'm here now, and ready to work!"

"Well that's great, 'cause I really need to get home. I'd like to get some painting done before I crash." Elena was an amazing artist and designer, and she was always painting things for the people she loved. She was just selfless like that; another reason Caroline was friends with her. She just never had the chance to show anyone important what she could do. Just like Damon never had the chance to show anyone what a good cook he is, or how Caroline never had the chance to really fall in love. At least Elena and Damon got a chance to experience that.

"Well, I better get to work then!" Caroline joked, "Bye, Elena." She said, giving the brunette a quick hug.

"Bye Care." She responded, then yelled a quick bye to Millie and Damon and walked out the door. Caroline walked over to where Damon was cooking and slipped on her apron. The diner was currently empty, except for an old man sipping coffee up by the counter, and Millie already had that covered.

"Slow day?" Caroline asked Damon, although she knew the answer.

"Isn't it always?" He responded, and Caroline let out a light laugh. She was about to respond, when the bell above the door rang, signaling a new customer just walked in.

"I've got it!" Caroline called to Millie, throwing a quick smile at Damon and making her way towards the new customer. She was so busy pulling out her notepad and pen, she didn't even look up at who she was serving until she was done with the whole "Hi, I'm Caroline, and I'll be your server today. Can I start you off with something to drink?" script. She didn't look up until she heard her name being called in that familiar British accent.

"Caroline?" Klaus's voice penetrated through her foggy mind, and she snapped her head up immediately.

"Klaus?" her eyes widened a bit at the sight of him, and the skinny blonde seated across from him. She quickly recovered and faked a smile. "I'm just seeing you everywhere today! How are you?" She tried to be polite, but she feel could her heart starting to sink.

"Still great. Um, Caroline, this is my wife, Camille." He said, gesturing to the blonde in the expensive dress seated across from him. "Camille, this is my, um… _friend_ from high school, Caroline Forbes." He finished awkwardly. Caroline smiled and extended her hand to Camille, who took it, shaking it firmly.

Caroline gave her a small smile, glancing at Klaus for a moment, before turning back to Camille_. "Did he really just call me his friend?!" _she wanted to yell something at Camille for being married to Klaus, for living_ her_ perfect life. She wouldn't be surprised if they had a truckload of kids, and even a cute fluffy dog at home. Although Camille seemed more like a cat person to her.

"It's so nice to meet you." Camille said politely, snapping Caroline out of her thoughts.

"Oh, um, you too." Caroline stuttered a bit at first, but managed to regain her composure.

"You know what?!" Camille began, a little too excited, "We should have Caroline over for dinner tomorrow night! Doesn't that sound nice, baby?" Camille said, directing the last part at Klaus. Caroline almost threw up in her mouth a little at Camille calling Klaus "_baby". _Klaus seemed to hesitate a bit before speaking up.

"You know what, that actually sounds like a great idea. You can bring Tyler along, as well."

"Tyler?" Camille questioned.

"My boyfriend." Caroline said, a chill running down her spine, for the second time that day, at the mention of the devil himself.

"Oh! Well, by all means, bring him along!" Camille chided.

Caroline just nodded her head, turning her head towards Klaus. _"It would be rude to say no." _She thought, looking at Klaus's smiling face. "Okay, I'll tell him when I get home." She tried her best to sound as excited as Camille was.

"Great!" Camille said, clapping her hands together. "Oh, here's our address." She said, pulling a pen out of her purse and scribbling it down on a napkin. Caroline's eyes widened a bit when she read their address; they really were wealthy. She smiled a bit and tucked the napkin into her apron pocket.

"So, what can I get you guys to drink?"

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><p><strong>Please review if you'd like another chapter! Also, if you're a Delena fan, please check out my other story "When the Past Comes Back to Bite", I'm going to update it tomorrow!<strong>

**-xx KaterinaPetrovah**


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh my god, I am sooooo sorry I haven't updated in like half a year! I completely lost inspiration in this story, but I'm back now! Hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

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><p>Caroline woke up the next morning to an empty bed. Most girls would take that as a cue to start worrying, but Caroline took it as a cue to allow a tidal wave of relief to flow freely through her body. Then again, most girls don't have to wake up to an abusive, deadbeat boyfriend every morning.<p>

Had Tyler even come home last night? Caroline could care less. She'd rather he had his hands all over some sleazy prostitute than all over her. After all, it was shaping up to be a pretty good morning: Tyler wasn't there to harass her, it was her day off, and it was even particularly sunny out. She allowed a small smile to grace her worn down features, a feeling of content spreading all over her body. That was, until, one thought stampeded its way into her brain, demanding to be heard. She had promised to have dinner at Klaus and Camille's house tonight with Tyler. Her content was instantly replaced with discomfort, as she quickly got out of bed and rushed to the shower, vigorously trying to scrub the feeling away.

A few hours later, Caroline stood watching herself in the cracked full-length mirror on her bathroom door. The fabric of her short lace dress was a little too loose, and the white color had started to fade from pearly to a crusty shade of beige. She sighed, tightening the thin brown belt around her waist in an attempt to mold the old fabric against her skinny torso. Her blonde locks were falling around her shoulders in a wave of cheap hair dye and split ends, as she gingerly sprayed on some perfume Elena had bought her for her birthday the previous year; she being the only one who remembered.

She patted her dress down once more, trying to rid it of its inevitable wrinkles, and pulled a soft blue cardigan over her shoulders to hide her bruises. She allowed herself one last glance in the mirror before making her way out the door and to Klaus's house, her beat up gladiator sandals kicking up dust as she walked.

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><p>The exterior of Klaus's house was magnificent, to say the least. It was big enough to fit 30 trailers inside of it, but it wasn't big enough to be a mansion. The cozy looking home was even cream colored, and was accompanied by little red shudders. It was funny, she thought, that this was the exact house she had dreamed of living in one day. The exact house she had dreamed of living in with a certain, undeniably handsome Brit. Yup, Caroline Forbes was definitely out of her element here… to say the least.<p>

She warily lifted one hand to ring the doorbell, and none other than the aforementioned, undeniably handsome Brit was standing in front of her less than a second later. He swung the door open with a swish, his dark blue eyes immediately finding her light ones.

"Did you walk here?" Klaus asked, a hint of amusement hidden under his accent, as he noticed the lack of an unfamiliar car in his driveway.

"Uh," Caroline stalled for a second, "yeah, I don't live far, and it was so nice out today." She lied easily. Thank god for the nice weather and Klaus's lack of knowledge of where she lived, or her carless-ness would have been glaringly apparent.

He just nodded at her, not quite buying it, but not pressing it further either. "Well, come on in." He said, moving out of the doorway to reveal his impeccably decorated home. _"Makes sense, since his wife is an interior designer."_ Caroline thought bitterly to herself, but making sure to smile sweetly on the outside. So, maybe she was a bit jealous of Camille Mikaelson. As if on cue, Camille appeared seemingly out of nowhere in an expensive looking blouse and tight skirt, an apron spotted with some sort of powder laying over her very business woman like outfit. _"Well, I guess if anyone were to pull off stilettos with an apron, it would be Camille." _Caroline thought.

"Caroline!" Camille's voice dripped with sweetness as she hugged the other blonde. "Where's Tyler?" she asked, pulling back from the embrace.

"He had to work." Caroline feigned disappointment, when in reality she hadn't even bothered to ask Tyler. It's not like she'd even seen him today.

"Awe, that's too bad!" Camille said, disappointment evident in her voice as well. Although, her feelings were probably authentic.

Caroline nodded her head, "I brought you this." She said, handing a bottle of wine over to Camille. Working in a restaurant did have its perks from time to time.

"Thank you so much!" Camille said sweetly. God, she was really making it hard for Caroline to hate her. "Dinner's almost ready, why don't you two sit at the table while I finish up?"

"That sounds lovely." Klaus said, dropping a kiss on his wife's cheek and leading Caroline into the lavishly decorated dining room.

"Thanks." Caroline whispered as Klaus pulled her chair out for her, and he smiled that irresistible smile back at her.

"So…" Klaus trailed off.

"So…" Caroline played repeat offender, glancing down awkwardly at the perfectly waxed floors, before picking her head back up, only to be accidently interrupted by the man siting in front of her.

"How-"

"What-"

They both said at the same time. The pair allowed laughter to bubble through them at the sheer uncomfortabilityof the situation.

"Why is this so awkward?" Klaus asked, his eyes still filled with a sparkle of laughter.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because we haven't talked since high school, yet here we are sitting in your mcmansion about to eat what looks like a four course meal." The blonde replied sarcastically, glancing into the kitchen to see Camille preparing an abundance of foods.

Klaus laughed again at Caroline's remark. "I forgot how funny you are. I miss that." He said, a smile still tugging on his lips.

Caroline mirrored his grin, opening her mouth to respond, but quickly getting cut off by Camille entering the room with a perfectly roasted chicken in her hands.

"Alright, course one is ready!" Camille squealed excitedly.

Klaus and Caroline both bit back smiles.

A few hours, a bowl of rigatoni, and various vegetables and wines later, the three of them were chatting like old friends over cheesecake and coffee. Caroline couldn't remember the last time she'd had a home cooked meal, and for that, she owed Camille. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all.

"So, you guys met in high school?" Camille asked before taking a sip of her vanilla cream flavored coffee.

Caroline nodded her head, "Yup, in sophomore year, just after Klaus moved here from Britain."

"It's a shame you guys didn't keep in touch after high school." Camille said absentmindedly.

Klaus caught Caroline's eye for a moment, before quickly glancing away. "Yeah, a real shame."

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><p><em>Caroline sat motionless in small waiting room of the hospital. The only thing her mind could register was the cold, hard chair she was seated on and the sickly clean smell that surrounded her. She had gotten a call around dinnertime, just as she was wondering where her mother was. She had answered the phone quickly, not bothering to look at the caller ID; she'd just assumed it was her mother. But the voice on the other end was a stark contrast to that of her mother's, the voice was robotic, almost emotionless, as it relented to her that her mother had been in a car accident and she was in critical condition. She didn't hear much after that, the sounds around her becoming muffled and her vision blurring. She quickly texted Klaus and drove straight to the hospital. All she could think was how she couldn't lose her mother, especially after her father had walked out on them when Caroline was merely 3 years old. She'd literally have no family left.<em>

_She was snapped out of her thoughts by a familiar British accent and a pair of dark blue eyes. Klaus was crouched down in front of her, his hands on her shoulders, and he was saying something to her. It took her a second to realize he was asking her if she was okay. She blinked back tears and nodded her head, his worried eyes scanning her face, not believing her for a second. But, he thought it best not to call her out on it, and settled for sitting in the empty seat next to her and wrapping an arm around her stiff shoulders. Instinctively, she leaned into him, closing her eyes and doing her best to block out the outside world. She wasn't sure for how long they sat like that, but the next thing she knew, a young doctor was escorting her out of the waiting room and telling her, her mother was dead. It was as if her legs had forgotten how to work, as they crumbled beneath her like a small building in an earthquake. She could barely hear the doctor telling her he was sorry, and that he did everything he could, as an oceans worth of tears began to pour out of her once bright blue eyes. She could feel Klaus wrap his arms around her from behind. Had he been standing there the whole time? She hadn't even realized. All she knew for sure was her life would never be the same again, no matter how badly she resented change._

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><p><em>After that night, Caroline was sent to a group home. No one wanted to adopt a teenager, so she spent the second half of her junior year and her whole senior year in that home. She almost resented the word, there was no way in hell this place could ever be considered a home. All is was, was a place for the kids who had no one left. It was more of a prison than a home. <em>

_It was just getting dark out when Caroline made her way into the bathroom, a small bag of cocaine hidden in her back pocket. She glanced in the mirror at her worn reflection, feeling nostalgic for the girl she used to be. She used to have a mother, friends, and great grades. Now all she had was a group of lonely, orphaned girls, a few drug dealers, and F's in all her classes. The only thing she'd manage to keep around was the one thing she desperately wanted to shake. Klaus. The way he looked her all the time, like he wanted to fix her… she couldn't take it. She just wanted to be able to take care of herself for a while. Thankfully she would be getting that wish soon, since graduation was in a few days. Klaus had decided to become a lawyer, and he'd been begging Caroline to come with him to college, since she obviously wasn't getting in anywhere. Hell, she wasn't even capable of graduating high school. The blonde sighed deeply, pulling the bag out of her pocket and emptying the contents the counter. A knock on the door snapped her out of her thoughts._

_"Caroline?" Klaus's voice came from outside the door, "Mrs. Martin let me in, but she said I had to be quick, so will you please let me in?" he pleaded, desperation evident in his voice. Mrs. Martin was the woman in charge of the group home, and she had been worried about Caroline for a while now, as had Klaus. _

_Caroline sighed, knowing he wouldn't leave her alone until she let him in. Swinging open the door, she glanced up at him. "What?"" she demanded, blocking him from entering the small bathroom._

_"You weren't in school today, I was worried." He said, trying to peer around her into the bathroom._

_"Yeah, well I'm not in school a lot of days." Caroline said nonchalantly._

_He looked like he was about to respond when he saw the white powder spread out in neat little lines. His eyes widened, as he pushed Caroline gently out of the way._

_"Caroline, are you kidding me?!" He raised his voice slightly, causing Caroline to wince internally, but she didn't let it show._

_"Oh, it's not like you didn't suspect it." Caroline spat, crossing her arms over her chest._

_"You need to stop this, you're throwing your life away." He yelled at her, his hand flying up in the air as he spoke._

_"My life is already thrown away!" Caroline yelled back, her voice cracking at the end._

_Klaus's eyes softened, and he placed his hands on Caroline's shoulders. "Caroline, it doesn't have to be. Come to Harvard with me. Please" he begged her, bending down slightly so his eyes bore into hers. Caroline just shook her head; she wasn't dragging him down with her. At least he had a shot at a great life, where as she was on a road to nowhere._

_"No." She said simply. "No, I don't want to, Klaus. I don't want to!" her voice was increasing in volume._

_"Caroline-" he tried to interject, but was just interrupted by the blonde in front of him._

_"No, Klaus! I don't want to go to fucking Harvard with you, okay? I don't want to be with you! I don't love you!" the words slid off her tongue so easily, it was as if she was telling the truth. She didn't know when she became so good at lying, but it was basically second nature to her now._

_Klaus's arms dropped from her shoulders, and he looked at her like a wounded puppy. But Caroline didn't break her façade. _

_"Just go." She said, pointing towards the door, and this time Klaus didn't protest._

_Of course, Klaus had come back the next day to check on her, but she had already been gone. She was already en route out of New Mexico, only realizing she had made a huge mistake months after graduation. And when she had went to Harvard to find Klaus, she caught his roommate instead, who told her Klaus was dating someone else now. She had asked him not to tell Klaus she came; he did deserve some happiness after all. Although all she could feel was a tidal wave of despair as she made her way back to New Mexico, leaving a piece of her heart behind._

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><p>"Yeah, I guess we just lost touch." Caroline smiled at Camille, just as he phone began to go off.<p>

"I'm so sorry," she glanced down at the caller ID to see it was Tyler who was calling her, "I have to take this, it's Tyler." She said, masking her fear well.

"Of course." Camille smiled at her, getting up to bring the dishes to the kitchen.

Caroline swiftly exited the room, answering her phone on the way.

Klaus glanced behind him, where Camille was cleaning up the dishes. He couldn't help himself, curiosity getting the best of him as he followed Caroline and hid behind a wall. Of course, he could only hear her side of the conversation, it's not like he had super hearing or anything, but it still worried him when he heard the fearful tone in Caroline's voice. She sounded so scared and he watched as her bright eyes darkened.

"No don't, I'm coming home now, I swear." He heard her say. When she hung up the phone, Klaus wasted no time in walking over to her.

"Are you alright? You look a frazzled." He looked worriedly at her.

Caroline nodded her head in response. "Yeah I'm fine, I just have to get going." She smiled at him. "But, thank you for having me over, I had a good time… I missed you." She added on hesitantly, carefully gauzing his reaction. Relief filled her body when he smiled back at her, pulling her in for a quick hug.

"I missed you too."

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><p><strong>Feel free to review :) Also, if you're a Teen Wolf fan, I wrote a stydia one shot, if you want to check that out!<strong>

**-xx KaterinaPetrovah**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! I'm sooooo sorry it took me so long to update this story! Life just got in the way, I guess. Anyway, I finally got caught up with TVD this weekend, and it inspired me to finally finish this chapter. I'm starting to really ship Steroline this season (and Delena of course) and Kai is honestly my new favorite character lol. Ok, sorry for rambling on, I'll leave you to reading! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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><p>The warm sunlight streaming through the house's glass windows was a stark contrast to the dark storms of rage swirling inside its occupants right now.<p>

"How could you possibly think waiting until now to tell me this was a good idea?!" Klaus's voice boomed, seemingly echoing off the meticulously decorated walls.

"I-I'm sorry! I thought I could fix it in time, but I couldn't!" Camille screamed back, tears now falling freely down her face, dragging her charcoal colored mascara with them.

Klaus dragged a hand down his face at the sight of his wife crying, releasing a deep sigh, "Camille, you've known your business was going under for _6 months_ and you didn't think it was important to tell me? Why the hell would you move your business across the country if you knew it was failing?! I could have found a job in Massachusetts!"

Camille looked at him with disbelief, taking an assertive step forward, "I did it for you, Klaus! You were the one who wanted to move back to New Mexico so badly!" she screamed, another thought coming to the forefront of her mind as she did,

"And it's not like this will effect us that much, you make enough money at the law firm, and I can always just find a job in town until I get my business up and running again. Why are you overreacting so much?! I should be the one who's upset, it's my business!" Camille sucked in a breath of air; replacing the oxygen her enraged voice stole from her lungs, and quickly swiped a few salty tears from under her eyes.

Klaus's eyes softened a bit, and he lowered his tone a few notches, "Camille, it's not that. I'm mad because you felt the need to lie to me for so long. I've had experience with girls who lie all the time, and I really don't want to be married to one. You could have just told me the truth."

"Oh." Was all Camille could manage to say, secretly wondering how she could be so superficial at times. "I think I just need some air." She concluded, grabbing her keys and running outside to her car. Klaus sighed once again, allowing her to go cool off.

Camille sat outside of the diner for a few minutes, attempting to clean up her makeup with a few tissues she found in her car. But, all they succeeded in doing was leaving behind patches of red skin and dulled makeup. She grimaced at her reflection, thinking she looked more like someone out of a horror movie, than anything else. Figuring this was the best it was going to get, she hopped out of her car and made her way into the town diner.

The bell above her jingled, letting the workers know a new customer had entered. She sat herself in a booth and buried her face in a menu, only looking up when she felt the presence of a waiter.

"Caroline!" Camille said surprised, unconsciously running a hand through her tousled hair. In all the fuss she'd momentarily forgotten Caroline worked at the diner.

"Hi, Camille," Caroline started, before dark realization pooled behind her eyes, "are you ok?" She asked, immediately picking up on her all too familiar red eyes and smeared makeup.

Camille nodded, glancing down at her menu again, "Yeah. Klaus and I just got into a fight." Her eyes quickly scanned the menu before deciding on grilled cheese.

Caroline tried her best not to allow a spark of hope ignite in her heart, but her efforts were fruitless. Of course she felt bad for Camille, but somewhere in the back of her mind, the part that holds all her deep dark desires, she knew she would jump on the chance to get back together with Klaus at even the smallest sliver of opportunity.

Caroline nodded, scribbling down her order. "You know, if there's one thing I remember about Klaus, it's his relentlessness to help the people he loves, so whatever it is you're fighting over, it won't be long before he caves and helps you through it. He loves you." A sharp pain shot through her heart at her last three words, but she knew it was something that needed to be said. No girl should ever have to feel that way; she would know.

Camille smiled in response, watching Caroline's retreating form and wondering how she knew exactly what to say. Sometimes she felt like everyone knew Klaus better than her.

Her thoughts were interrupted, though, at the jingling of the bell above the door. A tall, tanned man walked through the door, his hair tousled slightly like her own. He was attractive, but there was something blatantly repellent about him. He almost looked dirty, and not just physically. He flexed his muscles slightly and made his way towards Caroline.

Camille strained to hear their conversation from across the diner.

"Hey babe." Tyler said, wrapping his arms around Caroline from behind. Caroline stiffened, disentangling herself from his arms.

"I'm working." She said, her voice wavering slightly. Tyler followed her as she went to bring the grilled cheese Camille ordered to her table.

"Come on, I want to get out of here." His voice held hidden aggression, layered beneath miles of fake sincerity. But, Caroline seemed to pick up on it quickly, placing the dish in front of Camille and trying to disable Tyler's advances.

"I'm working, Tyler." She repeated herself, before turning to Camille and plastering a fake smile on her face. "This is Tyler, my boyfriend."

Camille smiled, extending her hand to him, "Hi, I'm Camille."

Tyler took his hand in hers, "Nice to meet you." He smiled suggestively at her.

"CAROLINE!" A thin brunette suddenly yelled from across the diner, causing Caroline to whip around, and Camille and Tyler to break their grasp.

"What, Elena?" Caroline asked the other girl.

"I need you to run out and grab another bag of potatoes! We're all out!"

Camille watched Caroline eagerly agree, bidding a quick good bye to her and Tyler and practically running out of the diner.

She could have sworn she saw a flash of anger behind Tyler's eyes, but it was gone within a minute, as he slid into the booth across from her.

"So, you're a friend of Caroline's?" he asked, eyes roaming over what he could see of her body.

"Yeah, I'm Klaus's wife." Camille said, somewhat intrigued by the man in front of hers advances.

At Tyler's blank stare she continued, "You know, Caroline's friend from high school. We just moved here recently, actually."

Tyler nodded, clicking his jaw before he spoke, "Never heard of him."

Camille nodded, finding this weird, considering she had told Caroline to invite him to dinner the other night. Her train of thought was quickly derailed at the sound of Tyler speaking again.

"So, what, did your husband not want to get anything to eat with you?"

Camille glanced down at her food momentarily before coming up with an excuse, "He had to work. He's a lawyer, he's just busy." She rambled slightly, hoping to convince Tyler.

He seemed convinced, or at least uninterested, and nodded his head, his eyes roaming over her again. "Sure, I know what you mean. But if you ever get lonely, I'm always around." He said, leaning dangerously close to her.

Camille didn't bother pushing him away.

* * *

><p>Caroline felt a tidal wave of relief wash over her as she exited the diner. Thank god Elena knew her so well, and was able to save her from Tyler. At least at the diner she was safe from his sickening advances.<p>

She took her time walking to the grocery store, taking in the beautiful New Mexican sun and smiling politely at the people she passed. She was about halfway to her destination when thoughts of Klaus began to eagerly invade her mind.

This was happening more and more often, she realized. _His voice, his eyes, his lips_, all of it was fair game in that secret corner of her mind. Her index finger ran along the cool edge of her phone in her pocket, contemplating whether to pull it out and dial the increasingly familiar number. On impulse, her right hand grasped her phone and hastily pulling it out of her pocket.

Her fingers flew over the keypad, dialing the first few digits to his number in record time.

_555-_

She paused, running a hand threw her hair, _what was she doing? _This was stupid, it's not like there was ever a real chance for them. The blonde sighed deeply, slowing in her tracks and deleting the few numbers she typed. Sliding the phone back into her pocket, the sudden harsh vibration startled her. She quickly brought the phone back up to her face, the name _Klaus_ displayed in bold font, a picture of him from high school smiling up at her.

She stalled for a moment, taking a deep breath, before answering. "Hello?"

"Caroline?" his accented voice came through the other end.

"Yeah, what's up?" she asked, a flurry of butterflies flying around in her stomach at the sound of _his voice_ saying _her name._

"Um, I was just wondering, since we didn't get that much time to talk at dinner and all, um, if you maybe wanted to grab something to eat sometime? Maybe tomorrow?" he asked, his usually confidence distraught with nerves.

An involuntarily smile stretched across Caroline's lips, "Yeah, sure, we can meet for lunch at the diner. Are you free around 12:30?"

"Yeah, sound good!" Caroline could hear the smile in his voice; as well, "I'll pick you up, just give me your address."

A shot of panic ran through her veins at the thought of Klaus seeing where she lived, "No! I'll meet you there." She all but yelled, managing to regain control of her emotions at the end of her sentence.

"Alright," Klaus said confused, a hint of amusement evident in his voice. "I'll meet you there."

"Great." Caroline grinned, literally skipping into the grocery store and earning herself a few weird looks. But, right now, she could care less.

"Great. Goodbye, Caroline."

"Bye, Klaus."

* * *

><p>Klaus hung up his phone, leaning back against the cool leather chair. He smiled gently to himself, sweet thoughts of Caroline taking up occupancy in his mind<p>

The short time he spent talking to her on the phone helped his mind to wander away from his fight with his wife. It was like just hearing her voice took away all his troubles. All she had to do was speak one syllable, and his problems began to melt away into the deep abyss.

Although, he couldn't help but feel slightly jittery about tomorrow. If he didn't know better, he'd call it the "first date jitters."

If there was one thing he knew for sure, it was that he missed Caroline Forbes.

* * *

><p>The sky had transformed into a dark purple by the time Caroline got home from her shift.<p>

"Where have you been?" Tyler asked before the door was fully closed behind her.

Caroline swallowed before answering, "I was at work, I told you I had to work late tonight."

She braced herself as Tyler took a step forward, pinning her between him and the door. "I expect you to be home when I need you to be." He warned, the smell of hard liquor evident on his breath.

Caroline recoiled slightly, backing up against the hard door and gagging at the stench.

"I'm sorry." Her voice shook, expecting him to do his worse. Her blue eyes widened in surprise when, instead, he turned harshly away from her and stormed into the next room.

Her surprise was quickly replaced with an uneasy sense of fear when Tyler began to yell.

"I can't believe you'd disrespect me like this! You know you're supposed to do what I say!" His voice was slurred and reckless, causing Caroline to freeze in fear against the door. Her fingers grazed the handle, her feet getting ready to run at the first sign of danger.

Her hand immediately latched onto the doorknob as soon as Tyler tore back towards her, waving something in her face.

A small gasp escaped her lips at the realization of what he was holding.

_A gun. Tyler was waving a gun in her face._

"Tyler-" her pleading sobs were cut short by his enraged screams.

Mind numbing fear shot through her core, leaving sparks of dread in its wake. She could feel her palms getting slippery; almost losing grip on the doorknob.

Tyler staggered forward in his intoxicated state, almost falling on top of her. The gun, _god where had he gotten a gun?,_ waving carelessly in his grip. She was afraid to move, to try and kick him, knowing that if she did there was a very good chance he'd shoot her. People like him had no sympathy for people like her.

Her mind raced, trying to figure out what she should do, fighting for a voice of it's own against Tyler's increasingly incoherent shouts. She held her breath as Tyler turned around, swinging his arms at nothing in particular.

It happened in slow motion; she grabbed the baseball bat Tyler kept by the door, and swung it forcefully against the back of his head. It collided with his skull, and then clattered to the ground, falling out of Caroline's grasp. Tyler swayed for a moment, before collapsing to the ground, the gun still in his grip.

Caroline wasted no time, already running out the door, tears streaming down her horror stricken face.

Her feet pounded against the ground, the cool night air nipping at her exposed skin. She felt like her heart was about to explode by the time she reached Elena's trailer, falling into the other girls arms and collapsing in a fit of her own tears.

It was in that moment, her puffy face buried in Elena's chestnut colored hair, that Caroline realized how utterly dangerous it was for her just to be alive.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a review, I love hearing from you guys!<strong>

**-xx KaterinaPetrovah**


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